Housing

Apartment-Finding Services

International students should make their housing arrangements several months before they arrive in Chicago. Students who plan ahead have more housing choices than students who wait until they arrive in the U.S. Students who wait also incur the cost of staying in a hostel or a hotel while they search for housing.

Undergraduate Students

You are considered an undergraduate student if you are seeking a bachelor's degree. If you are married, you are not permitted to live in on-campus housing and should make off-campus housing arrangements.

With some exceptions, Loyola generally requires all undergraduate students in their first or second year to live on campus in residence halls. For detailed information about on-campus housing, please contact the Department of Residence Life at 773.508.3300, e-mail res-life@luc.edu, or visit www.luc.edu/reslife/.

Graduate Students

You are considered a graduate student if you are seeking a master's degree or higher. The Department of Residence Life offers some graduate student housing. However, many graduate students live off campus. Residence Life can refer you to off-campus housing resources.

International House

The mission of the International House is to promote cross-cultural learning by creating a community in which students live and interact with other students from different countries. This is accomplished by having roommates from various countries. We have had students from over 26 different countries, including Brazil, China, Japan, France, Spain, Ireland, and Angola. To learn more about some of their experiences, click here!

International House is open to juniors, seniors, transfer, domestic, exchange, ESL, short-term, graduate and PhD student populations. If you have any additional questions, please email intlhouse@luc.edu

General Housing Information

When searching for an apartment, be sure to keep in mind the distance to campus and/or public transportation like the El system. Prices can vary widely based on location, amenities, and size so shop around to find the best fit for you. There are several free apartment finding services and websites you can use, please see the links below. The Office for International Programs recommends first visiting Loyola’s student classifieds website at https://lucweb.luc.edu/iggy/index.cfm, often people in the Loyola community post ads for apartments or roommates here. Also there is a furnished apartment option that many of our international students find helpful:

The Lakeshore campus is located in the Rogers Park and Edgewater neighborhoods and is where the majority of students live. The Water Tower campus is located downtown and so has much higher rental rates. If you would like recommendations on neighborhoods feel free to reach out to your fellow students who will be best able to give you accurate information. When comparing apartments be sure to ask what utilities are included with the rent. Most include water and garbage collection but sometimes heat and cable are also included.

Once you decide on an apartment you most likely have to put down a security deposit. This is usually 1–2 months rent in addition to your first month’s rent and is usually due at the time of signing. This money is held by your landlord until you move out, if there are damages to the apartment the cost of repairs will be deducted from the initial amount. You should complete an initial inventory when you first move into the apartment detailing any damages present before you arrived. You should be fairly specific as this can protect you from being blamed for damage that you did not cause. If your landlord does not provide one you can create one and give a copy to your landlord.

When signing the lease be sure to read it carefully before signing it as there is often important information such as late penalties, pet policies, and utility information. If you have any questions or would like to change the lease you should discuss these before signing the lease. If you have specific questions or do not feel comfortable with the terms of a lease feel free to contact OIP with your concerns.